Efficiency, Incentives Key to Cutting Demand
By Sandhya Somashekhar
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Virginians could curb their energy consumption by 10 percent with techniques used routinely in other states, reducing the need for new power plants and lines, according to a report by an environmental consulting group.
The report, prepared by Summit Blue Inc. of Colorado and paid for by the Piedmont Environmental Council, recommends a variety of policy changes, including offering financial incentives for residents and businesses that install energy-efficient lighting, air conditioners and heaters, and that incorporate efficient design into their buildings.
It also calls for more investment in technology that allows consumers to automatically reduce their electricity use when demand -- and cost -- are highest. Virginia ranks near the bottom among states that invest in such technology.
"This report demonstrates that there's enough hanging fruit in terms of best practices by the industry to save a considerable amount of energy over the next 10 years," said Robert W. Lazaro Jr., spokesman for the Warrenton-based Piedmont group, which advocates land conservation and slow-growth policies.
According to the May 16 report, some state governments and power companies that have implemented the kinds of programs the authors suggest for Virginia have enabled users to save millions of dollars on energy bills, despite a significant upfront investment. In most cases, the improvements were paid for by electricity ratepayers.
Among the states that have made conservation a priority are Vermont, California, New Jersey, New York and Minnesota.
The methods would also increase the overall reliability of the grid, the authors found.
The Piedmont Environmental Council, which commissioned the study, has recently turned its focus to energy conservation, promoting it as a way to prevent the construction of power plants and lines and other controversial projects that are likely to proliferate as the region's population expands.
One such project is a proposed 65-mile high-voltage transmission line through Northern Virginia, which Dominion Virginia Power is hoping to build to bring electricity to rapidly growing areas. The Piedmont group has been among the line's strongest critics.
The State Corporation Commission has yet to decide whether to allow the $243 million project to move forward. If the commission turns down the request, Dominion might take its case to the federal government in an effort to overrule the state.
Dominion officials have said that not even the most aggressive conservation methods would be sufficient to eliminate the need for the line, which they say is essential to prevent the threat of blackouts beginning in 2011.
The company had originally selected a route through some sensitive areas in Northern Virginia, including rolling countryside and Civil War sites in Fauquier County and densely populated neighborhoods in Prince William County.
Under pressure from state officials and local residents, Dominion selected another route alongside existing lines this year.
But the Piedmont council and other critics say the change in plans has not diminished their opposition to the project. Rather, the whole controversy was a wake-up call for critics, said Barbara Kessinger, a resident of Haymarket who has become a key advocate for policy reform in Prince William.
"We learned early on that all of this was really about poor energy policy," Kessinger said. "If the power line controversy disappeared tomorrow, it would still have a good network of citizens involved pursuing energy solutions."
Kessinger said she believes the issue has helped spur a cultural shift in Virginia, as the nation grows more aware of environmental issues and climate change. Several groups have sprung up in the Haymarket area to push for state and county policies that favor energy conservation, she said, even though Dominion no longer plans to send the power line through that area.
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